Human
by Laney-Jane
Summary: What makes us human? 3 Years after the attacks, Jon decides to revisit Earth, and the man who drew him away.


Time is relative.

On Earth, it had been little more than 3 years since he'd left. To Jon, it had been immeasurable. Time only exsisted in that sense on Earth, and since his departure, he'd long since abandoned the idea of time, measured within the two hands of a clockface. He could have only gone as far to say, that when he materialized back into Earth's orbit that day, some 3 years later, it _felt _like a long time had passed.

Jon stood, effortlessly ominious blue glow that so many had come to associate with the fear of death and mass destruction now darting off the walls of the building he'd chosen to re-assemble himself in. He'd given some thought in _where_ he would go. This visit, breif, though it may be, was purely for his own satisfaction. A long lost sense of _want_ revisiting him. A _want_, a _desire_, to see if the _peace _still remained.

He stood now, at the head of Adrian's bedroom. The repaired glass ceiling and additional necessary clutter indicated Adrian probably spent a lot more time here in Karnak now, than he had done previously. Jon gave little thought as to _why_. He could only assume, Adrian did not wish to face the world in which he'd 'saved' so often, anymore.

Adrian lay on top of the bed covers, curled into a half-foetal position. Eyes snapped tightly shut, blonde hair falling over his face. Jon noted the extra lines on Adrian's face, the hollow cheekbones. His skin shimmered in the unearthly light. Tears, sweat. Fingers encased fistfuls of purple bedsheets. In sleep, he seemed little more than a frightened child.

Staring back at him, Jon found it almost laughable that Adrian, supposedly the world's smartest man, could have ever considered himself an equal to Jon, for the emotion Adrian was now exhibiting was so _real_, and so _human_. Jon _knew_, a being with this level of sensitivities to their own conscience, pride, fear- was far too fragile of mind to ever reach him on the same level.

Pain etched every muscle of Adrian's sweat dampened face, his eyelids squeezed shut, teeth partially gritted. As Jon had told him before--

_"You're just a man."_

There had been moments in Jon's past, where he could have entertained the idea of 'meeting his match', so it were, with Adrian. The cold nature Adrian had put forward for so many years had seemed to embody everything _but_ that of a true personality, something Jon had found himself relating to in himself.

He could see now, that was not the case.

"Adrian." Jon spoke, at last, his usual soft, ambigious monotone echoing through the room.

Within an instant, green eyes snapped open to meet the white orbs of the other.

For the briefest of moments, a seldom seen expression of confusion, and fear, cast itself over Adrian's face, before vanishing into a forced look of intrigue. The expression, however, had not been overlooked.

"Jon," Adrian muttured, his voice coming off just that bit weaker than it used to. Inwardly, he cringed at the display of weakness, but realised, a stronger feeling had taken over. For the first time in 3 years, Adrian had felt the sensation of relief, a subconsious lie telling him that everything would be OK. Everything would be OK now Jon had returned. No longer would he have to suffer the guilt, the lonliness, the pain, alone.

"Hello Adrian." Jon said, quietly. "I see the peace here on earth still remains."

Perhaps it was the lack of emotion in Jon's words that finally cut Adrian's last nerve.

"Things have never been better here." Adrian muttured, quietly, choked by the overwhelming urge to break down, right there and then.

Jon didn't reply. His concern for human emotions, particulaurly that of Adrian's, had long since vanished into a field of indifference, yet his observations were still in tact.

"You seem anguished." He muttured.

Adrian didn't respond to the statement. Half sickened by the reality that people were beginning to _notice, _half basked in the amazing glory of having another being realise the horror that had began to torture his every thought.

"Jon..."

Adrian stood up, his form seemed to be trembling from head to toe as he spoke.

"I... can't stop it."

"You can't stop what, Adrian?"

"These thoughts. The images. The...the sounds. I play them over and over in my head. Every day. Every night. They won't leave." Adrian felt his voice break ever so slightly as he spoke, carried away in the moment of relief, neglecting the usual steel front of emotionless strength.

"I could make them stop." Jon muttured.

"You could?" Adrian's voice now flooded with the sound of desperation, as he approached Jon, an almost hopeful smile beggining to form upon his face.

"Yes, Adrian, I could." Jon muttured.

Adrian felt a hesitant hand reach up to the other's glowing arm. The tingling, prickling sensation of Jon's skin sending shocks throughout his whole body. He'd longed to speak to him again, if only for a few seconds, to feel a connection with another living being, once again.

"How? How can you make it stop?" Adrian asked, green eyes filled with the childish want one might have associated with wanting a new toy. If anything, Jon found it pitiful.

"I could kill you, turn your brain into mush, obliterate your thoughts forever." Jon muttured, bluntly.

The hope and want dissolved from those green eyes, forming almost instantly into tears.

Adrian knew now. Even Jon couldn't help him. He felt his knees give, his hand slipping down Jon's arm, until falling away completley, as he dropped to the floor, reduced now, to quiet sobbing against it.

A vague sense of long forgotten pity seemed to overcome Jon at that moment. An iluminated hand reached out, and pressed itself against Adrian's shivering back. He knew it would take more than that to comfort him, but then, he knew nothing ever truly would.

"Did you really expect to go on living your life in peace?" Jon asked, retorically. It was hard to tell whether his words were condescending or consoling. "Adrian, you should have realised what this would do to you. I'd have expected you would."

"It was the _right thing_, Jon." Adrian looked up, his face shimmering from the tears he'd so reluctantly allowed to fall from his eyes. "I expected to feel like I'd helped people. Not this... not...this."

"You did help people." Jon stated.

Words escaped Adrian's mind now. There was nothing left to say. Nothing left to explain, nothing left to disguise. Dead end.

"How does it feel, Adrian?"

"How does _what_ feel?" Adrian asked, softly, his eyes squinting as he looked up to the other, defeated.

"Losing your humanity. How does it feel to live without a soul?"

Adrian's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'd have expected you would know that already, Jon."

"The difference being, Adrian, that _you_ are human." Jon muttured.

The blue light intensified, and Jon's form began to fade with each illuminated beam.

"No- Jon, don't leave..." Adrian said, his voice coming off just a bit too pleading for his liking. He pushed himselff up from the ground, one arm outstretched. He knew his attempt would be futile.

"Goodbye Adrian."

The beam of light first expanded, then sank, and he was gone.

This time, he would not return.


End file.
